Caelia wasn't furious at him.

She didn't throw him out of their home, or confront him with her new knowledge; indeed, she barely saw him at all. They slept in separate beds, after all, and the rooms were distanced so he never knew what she did- or didn't- do.

It was the only thought in his mind, that his wife wasn't even deigning to look at him.

It crept up, sometimes, in the middle of the day. At others, want-no, need- for Marlene threatened to overcome him. He wanted someone to be broken with, someone who wouldn't weep at the cuts that came from enveloping him but would embrace the pain as much as the pleasure he gave. Marlene, painted garishly bright and sneering at anyone in sight, was the perfect person.

Yet Caelia didn't seem to see it that way.

She avoided him expertly, not in her room even at six in the morning and into the nursery more than fifteen hours a day- there came a time when he knew that she wasn't adoring their child but avoiding him.

She knew that he wouldn't see their daughter's face.

He saw his history.

The grey eyes were the liquid remnants of Bellatrix's childhood- a childhood Sirius remembered only with hatred and disgust. The only emotion he felt when he looked at their daughter was remorse and a slight hint of regret; he knew that- despite everything that had happened- he wouldn't stop seeing Marlene.

That tentative resolve was shredded when he showed up on Marlene's doorstep, only to have her throw him the most contemptuous sneer, as if she couldn't believe his arrogance.

"You'd come here, here, after you fucking got caught?" She asked incredulously. "By your wife?"

She wouldn't let him back into her life; James couldn't let him back into his- not without Lily lambasting him- and Caelia didn't even look at him. Remus and Peter weren't even the actors in Sirius' play anymore; they were cut free of their strings.

All save one- suspicion.

Where did Remus go, every night, after Order meetings? Why was it impossible to catch him?

Why did he doubt his brother in all but blood?

He knew the answer- his daughter. Fury directed at her swirled under him, and he felt like the only thing holding his silence was that he didn't know how Lily- who fucking controlled James- would react. After all, she had fallen in love with Caelia after the fiasco with Cassia's birth, and she was constantly pestering him into talking her into bringing Cassia to their home.

How can he tell her that he has spoken more to the receptionist at the Auror office than to his own wife?

When Harry was born, it was the happiest day of his life.

Lily wouldn't throw him out because she was too tired and too dopy; the birth had not been easy- and James was so ecstatic he named Sirius Harry's godfather without a second thought. Some part of him criticized James- wouldn't he fight with his wife- but the larger part just accepted the pen and signed with gusto.

Now, even Lily won't give him the cold shoulder.

A question, faint and maudlin, tenuous as paper string, formed in his mind moments after he'd signed- who are Cassia's godparents- but it was cut off with the enthusiastic arrival of Remus and Peter. The questions haunted him later, in the middle of the night, and he was absolutely sure that it was only the celebratory champagne and sneaky Firewhiskey that James passed around that made him so maudlin.

There was a heavy stone in his stomach, too, thinking of all the people lined up to greet baby Harry now, while for his daughter there was only bare linoleum walls and steel appliances. Andromeda hadn't even met him outside, and there was no alcohol to be hinted at.

What bitter, sweet fools are we? Sirius leaned his head back carefully. To believe in love. Or a maker. Or- hell, in something better than what we have right now. My daughter was born down the hall, and nobody even gave a damn. She's the thrice-damned Heir to the Black family, and nobody was there for her. This kid- he has barely anything. And he has enough people coming to see him to shame a prince.

There were a few people who weren't there- he couldn't deny it. Andromeda, for one. Marlene, Caelia, Harry's grandparents...

The war had had a high toll on everybody. It had ripped Harry's grandparents from him before he'd been a thought in his mother's eye- and Sirius could only blame Death Eaters for that. There were times when he wanted to shed enough blood to form a river, times when he wanted to rend the world in half when he saw his Lily hug her unborn son tightly, Peter pale and thin in patched-through robes, Remus worn ragged from speaking to the werewolves; he'd see James finger his wand a tad more ferociously than usual, and he'd follow him through hell and back for that loyalty.

He'd won that unthinking trust years ago. He'd be damned if it all went to waste now, because of his pride.

Standing, he moved easily through the crowd of well-wishers, to stand by James' side. Leaning close, he muttered, "I need to talk to you. Can you get away from them for a second- or two?"

"Sure." The immediate agreement warmed Sirius, and he flashed a quick, heart-breaker smile over his shoulder.

Later, in a closed, warded closet- Sirius thought wryly that plans this big and this dangerous should have been done in places like Albus' office, grand and domineering; not this half-baked excuse for a room that was only safe because no one would guess the importance of what was said- that was dimmer than a Slytherin bathroom-

Ha. Ha. I'm so funny.

- he said quietly, "I think Peter should be Secret-Keeper."

A year and a half pass, and Sirius crashes into Godric Hollow with all the desperate strength of family unbroken. He enters the hallway, only to see James cradling Remus' body, holding him close and sobbing furiously. Lily holds Harry in her arms looking shocked and pale, like a specter not quite yet dead.

"What- what happened here?" The wand droops to the floor, curses dying stillborn.

No. No! Not Remus! Not Remus. He was happy.

And Remus had been. Dating a girl from Germany, a long-distance relationship that gave a new life to him; a new job that put food on the table and robes on his back that weren't second-hand and torn through; a brightness in his eyes and hope in his body that Sirius couldn't remember being present ever before. That it was ripped from him now, when everything was going right-

- it hurt.

"What do you think, Sirius?" Lily's face looked up at him, voice snapping like crackers on a Christmas morning. "He gave himself up for Har- ha-" Her eyes raised to meet his, furious and grief-stricken at once. "For Harry."

He nodded once. They couldn't afford this, and all of them knew it. Pain and grief had erased that knowledge, but Sirius could not let the Dark rip more away from him than what he had. Would not.

He waved his wand once, leaving marks that only Albus would see. Magic left its own mark on the world- but only the powerful could see it. Albus was one of them.

"We have to go." James raised his head, tear-tracks gleaming silver-bright on his cheeks, and Sirius' heart clenched. He should never look like that. Never.

Sirius nodded. "Come on. I'll apparate you."

Hurrying, they escaped into the ocean-side hut that had been designated a safe house for Lily, James and Harry. Sirius joined them, slumping against walls and moldy furniture- they'd chosen the house not for its beauty but its remoteness- boneless with relief. Later, Sirius knew he would feel regret and remorse, self-pity and hatred over his doubt over Remus' loyalties, but right then, Harry was alive. His family- most of it- was okay. If thinking about Remus made him angry, though, Peter just hurt.

Because he knew that, no matter what, he would hunt him to the ends of the earth, now.

All right! I'm back- with chapter six. This is actually a couple days early, I know, and I said I'd keep Caelia and was looking forward to adding Severus next chapter, but I had this written out. Then, I just began expanding on some ideas, and it went on, and on, and on...

Good Lord! It didn't really cover everything I wanted to cover, but I'm changing the format of the next couple chapters now, and I should know soon? Don't hurt me! Please?

Lakshita: Oh, I'm so sorry! Ummm... Spellcaster, by SGCbearcub, is a wonderful one, though it's rated M and is a little graphic in terms of sex; that's really the only one I can think of right now. It's a Severus/Hermione marriage fic- hope you like it! Sorry, but don't really know any good Sirius forced marriage fics; that's why I'm writing one now:)

Next chapter: Badass Caelia (finally!) Severus... maybe. If I want to make the chapter about twice a normal length. Which I probably don't. Which means you're most likely going to have to wait a week from today for Severus to enter.

Reviews inspire me!

-Dialux